News & Analysis as of

Wage and Hour Washington

Fox Rothschild LLP

Washington State Sees Surge in Wage-and-Hour Class Actions

Fox Rothschild LLP on

Washington employers are experiencing a significant rise in wage-and-hour class action lawsuits, a trend that has accelerated with the recent entry of several California-based law firms into the state. These firms,...more

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

Recently Passed Employment Laws Will Significantly Impact Washington Employers

Recently, Washington State legislators passed several new and amended employment bills, which Governor Ferguson signed, enhancing protections for employees and increasing potential liability for employers. Employers need to...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

10 New Bills Go Into Effect in July for Washington State Employers

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

In its 2025 regular session, the Washington State Legislature passed 10 bills impacting employers that will come into effect this year. These legal changes affect compliance obligations, employee benefits, and protections...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Warning from the Lighthouse: Washington Supreme Court Elevates Informal Wage Directives

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

In the ever-evolving landscape of employment law, Washington employers find themselves at the crossroads of compliance and litigation, especially when it comes to handling wage complaints. The recent Washington State Supreme...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Washington State Employment Law: Key Legislative Changes Effective July–September 2025

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

Washington State continues to lead in progressive employment legislation with a number of new laws set to take effect in the coming months. These changes span a wide range of employment issues — from wage transparency and...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Don’t Get Caught Off Guard: Top 10 Employment Law Changes in Washington State

Ballard Spahr LLP on

Employers operating in Washington State must take steps quickly to comply with a slew of new labor and employment laws passed by the Washington State Legislature during the recent session. These new laws significantly expand...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Washington Amends EPOA, Bringing More Balance to Employer Job Posting Obligations

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

On May 20, 2025, Governor Bob Ferguson signed Substitute Senate Bill 5408 (SSB 5408), enacting important amendments to the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA). The EPOA has been a hot topic in Washington after...more

Fisher Phillips

Washington Lawmakers Cut Employers a Break for Job Posting Noncompliance: 7 Things You Should Do

Fisher Phillips on

Washington employers will soon get some relief from the state’s strict job posting requirements after lawmakers unanimously passed a law to mitigate some of the more onerous parts of the key state statute. Starting July 27,...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Waiver Goodbye – Continued FMCSA Preemption Of Meal And Rest Periods For California and Washington Drivers

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

In 2023, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) under the Biden administration started accepting public comments about the many petitions for waiver that key stakeholders, including the California Attorney...more

Perkins Coie

Washington Supreme Court Denies Appeal of Meal Period Penalty Case

Perkins Coie on

In October 2024 we wrote about the Washington State Court of Appeals’ opinion in Androckitis v. Virginia Mason Medical Center, which held that the remedy for meal period violations includes three components: (1) payment of...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

The Fate of Hundreds Of EPOA Class Actions Await The Washington Supreme Court’s Decision in Branson v. Washington

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

The Washington Supreme Court recently entertained oral arguments in Branson v. Washington Fine Wines on the following certified question from the W.D. Washington regarding the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (“EPOA”)...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Washington Supreme Court Indicates Agreements Prohibiting Employees from Working for Competitors During Employment May Violate...

On January 23, 2025, the Washington Supreme Court held that two Washington workers can argue that their former employer imposed unreasonable restrictions in violation of a state statute regulating non-compete agreements that...more

Stoel Rives LLP

Key Changes for Oregon, Washington, and California Employers in 2025

Stoel Rives LLP on

As 2024 wraps up and we look forward to 2025, below is a summary of upcoming changes in employment law that may impact employers in Oregon, Washington, and California. Many of the following updates go into effect on January...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Employer Compliance Check: Washington State Employment Laws 2024 + 2025

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

Washington State has enacted significant employment laws that have or will come into effect in 2024 and 2025. These laws introduce new requirements and protections for employees across various industries. This update provides...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Washington Employers Face Minimum Wage and Salary Threshold Increases

Effective January 1, 2025, Washington’s state minimum wage will increase to $16.66 per hour, a 2.35% increase over 2024. In addition to complying with the state’s minimum wage requirements, Washington employers also need to...more

Perkins Coie

Coming Soon: Judicial and Agency Interpretations of Washington's Pay Disclosure Law

Perkins Coie on

Washington's Equal Pay and Opportunity Act (EPOA) is a hot topic in Washington state, with well over 100 class-action lawsuits filed under the law in the past 18 months. In short, the EPOA requires employers to disclose...more

Perkins Coie

Washington Announces New Minimum Wages for 2025

Perkins Coie on

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries announced that Washington’s minimum wage, which is tied to inflation, will increase from $16.28 to $16.66 starting in 2025.  Many local jurisdictions have higher minimum...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Washington Increases Minimum Wage and Salary Thresholds for Exemption and Non-Competes

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries has announced the state minimum wage for 2025.  In Washington, the state minimum wage is calculated annually (and generally increases) based on inflation.  Effective...more

Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson PLLC

2025 Washington Employment Law Update – Minimum Wage, Exempt Employees, and Noncompete Updates

Beginning on January 1, 2025, the minimum wage in Washington will go up to $16.66 per hour, up 2.35% from 2024. In addition to the statewide minimum, various cities and counties have a dizzying array of higher minimum wages...more

Perkins Coie

New Washington Ruling Endorses 30-Minute Penalty for Meal Period Violations

Perkins Coie on

In Androckitis v. Virginia Mason Medical Center, the Washington State Court of Appeals recently held that the remedy for meal period violations includes three components: (1) payment of time worked during the meal period;...more

Foster Garvey PC

2025 Increases in Washington Minimum Wage and Other Employee Expenses

Foster Garvey PC on

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) recently announced increases in the Washington minimum wage, the threshold for overtime exemptions and the minimum required for employee noncompete enforcement....more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Significant Developments in Pay Transparency Class Action Litigation in Washington State

Fox Rothschild LLP on

Washington State’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) requires employers with 15 or more employees to include salary ranges and benefit information in job postings. Violations have resulted in over 100 EPOA class action...more

Perkins Coie

Minimum Wage Increase and Other New Requirements for Renton Employers

Perkins Coie on

The city of Renton, Washington, finalized rules to implement Initiative 23-02 on May 31, 2024. The initiative was approved by Renton voters in February 2024 and codified within Chapter 5-28 and Section 5-5-4 of the Renton...more

Dentons

Assessing Payroll Rounding Policies After Wage Hour Class Action Suit

Dentons on

A recent concern in the healthcare sector, specifically hospitals, is a large class action wage hour claim in the state of Washington, Bennett v. Providence Health & Services. In this instance, a review of the order granting...more

Perkins Coie

Washington Expands Equal Pay Law To Cover All Protected Classes

Perkins Coie on

Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law Substitute House Bill 1905 on March 28, 2024, broadening the scope of Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA)....more

78 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 4

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide